Tourism and Primitivism. Initiation to Bwiti and Iboga in Gabon. — This paper sheds light on the implications of tourist practice that we shall call “mystic-spiritual and therapeutic” partly based on representations of the primitive. A study of French nationals who have gone to Gabon to experience the bwiti initiation rite using the root of the iboga plant, and the people behind the media coverage, who have frequently brought this practice to France, give us a better grasp of the various levels of primitivism and its representations. There are many (often contradictory) types of representations, which evolve according to the tourists’ experiences. We first attempt to obtain a clearer idea of this tourist practice and its offshoots, as well as the persons who implement, promote and experiment with it. We then attempt to define the various meanings behind the notion of primitive and primitivism though the views and practices of those involved. Lastly we attempt to analyse how these primitivist representations and practices support or contradict the ideologies and areas that are common to so-called “cultural” tourism, especially when it claims to “meet the other”, provide a better understanding between people, and preserve local traditions. Keywords : Gabon, bwiti, iboga, initiation, practices, primitivism, encounters, representations, cultural tourism, mystic-spiritual tourism, therapeutic tourism.